Shops of the Past
Over many years the village has seen a steady decline of retail shops as times and lifestyles change. Listed below are the ‘shops of the past’ (and present) as well as trades practiced in the village all from various sources. If anyone has further information to contribute to these lists then please email mail@moon-rakers.co.uk The list is by no means accurate, in date order, or anywhere near complete. Further research is needed.
Cowling Shops of the Past (starting at Gill Top)
Name Type Details
Miss. Annie Gott General Dealer Gill Top
No detail Gents Hairdressers Middleton
No detail Pie & Peas Shop (next door to above) Middleton
Co-op Small supermarket Right hand side of street
No detail General store (just down from Co-op) Right hand side of street
No detail Slaughter House Middle left hand side
No detail Chip Shop (near Mrs. Winstanley) No details
Annie Driver Confectioners Bottom row
Joe Lowcock Sweet shop Bottom house, Winkholme
Oat Cake shop – Later became Joe Hemingway, General Dealer Winkholme
Black Bull Public House Main Road
Heaton Shuttleworth Clog maker and shoe mender Providence place
Mr. Pass Shoe maker Top house, Winkholme
Mrs. Ike Hargreaves Sweet shop Colne Road
Martha Moorland General dealers Flood route
– Herbalist Next door to general dealers
Mr. Eric Green Butchers End of Park Road
– Family care shop, previously plumbers (Alan Collier), electricians (John Everett Dawson), drapers and started life as a shoe shop Main Road
Cowling Post Office
among others run by Freda Lonstaff and her Father Herbert from the 1930’s to the 1970’s. Main Road
Herbert Smith Butchers in one half, sweet shop in the other. Off-Licence today, on main road
Miss. Doris Ramsbottom ‘The Tin Hut’ – Drapers, formerly corn merchant, John Greenwood plumbers and latterly drapers run by Mrs. Lawrence. Main Road
Alf Hill Barbers shop, later a clothes shop run by Cynthia Butterfield Later became the smallest Oxfam shop in the world, now demolished.
Wheelers Bakery. Formerly Mr. John Bailey and prior to this run as Green’s Bakers and Cafe. Main Road
Harlequins Restaurant formerly Wine Bar, & Co-op supermarket. Co-op sold provinder for cattle feed, coal, drapery in half of the ground floor. Upstairs was office were all the dividends were recorded and paid out Main Road
Alf Moorhen Cobblers
– Milliners
– Tailors Main Road
– Bakery Next door to Tailors
Barclays Bank Main Road. Now Cowling Gunshop
Off License Small window left of Bay Horse Now Pool room window of B.Horse
Bay Horse Public House Main Road
– Joiners shop Next door to Bay Horse
– Paint Shop Below Croft Mill
– Photographers Wood Hut, next to bottom Fish & Chip Shop. Hut built on Enoch Stephenson’s land, later became a bakers and general store owned by Selina Wright
Cowling Chippy Fish & Chip Shop. Hopkinson’s owned the previous building, rebuilt by Bob & Annie Ogden, later owned by Mr. & Mrs. Bob Speak, then Mr. & Mrs. Swinson’s. Main Road
Audrey Keighley Hairdressers Lane ends
– Box Shop, later Brigg’s garage depot Main Road
– Post Office, with Hairdressers above. 1 Lane Ends
Beverly Stores General store and off licence. In the 1930’s this was Frank Smith painters and decorators, then Kershaw’s general store in the 1950’s. Later taken on by Barney Simpson and his wife. Main Road, bottom of Collinge Road. Now closed.
Seth Moore Tailors, assisted by his daughter Gladys
Richard & Hetty Newman Laundry. The well outside the laundry was often used for drinking water. Other wells were present at the bottom of Fold Lane, top of Park Lane and Acre Row. Main Road. Richard’s brother Lionel was a director of the BBC, London.
Leo’s ‘Junk Shop’ followed the closure of the laundry on the same site. Main Road
– Cobblers Bottom of Green Street
Export Office Car Racing Co, formerly TV shop & Godfrey’s Greengrocers. Original greengrocer was Mr. & Mrs. Whittam, followed by Sugden Walton. Grocers moved to bottom of Green street, now closed.
Butchers – Smith’s in the 1930’s followed by Mitchel then George bailey and finally Mr. & Mrs. Garside. Main Road
John Greenwood Smithy – Blacksmith’s & Plumber’s merchants Opposite butchers
J.W.Carr & Co General store. Originally run by Annie Stephenson from the USA who married Jonas Stephenson. Later became ‘Duckworths’ run by managers Frank Smith, Dorothy Maitkin and Edna Dolphin under the name of ‘Gower & Burgen’. Godfrey greengrocers then took it on followed by a shop selling domestic cleaning products. Main road
Yorkshire Bank Bottom of Sun street, later became Hairdresser’s – June Kitson, and dentisit – Andy Davidson. Main Road
Chip shop. Atkinson’s in the 1930’s, Beck’s in the fifties. Mick & Muriel Gallagher in the sixties, later Pat Duffey. Main road, now a chinese takeaway
Mrs. Smith Bakery. Later owned by Handel Shackleton’s, Straws, and later Edward Boocock. Bottom of Gibb Street
Pie & Peas shop in the 1930’s, later became Milton Laycock’s decorators, then hairdressers Gibb Street
Paul Scott, and various other owners since Newsagents. Paul Scott married the famous J.B.Priestley’s sister who taught at Cowling Primary School for many years. Catherine & Alfred Smith followed Paul Scott. Bottom of Gibb Street. Now recently closed business
– Antique shop, previously a general dealers owned by two sisters (Laycock’s), then Horace & Doris Rushworth Main Road, Woodland street
Binns Art Gallery, formerly Chemist. Owned by ‘Snuffy’ Richardson in the 1930’s, then Norman Leach till the 1970’s. Main Road, Woodland Street
Farrow, later owned by Mr. Price Bakery 48 Queen Street

Transcript of the entry of “professions and trades” for COWLING in The Craven Household Almanack Directory of 1911.

JOHN BINNS &. SONS, LTD, Cowling
The firm of John Binns & Sons. Ltd., was founded at Cowling in 1852 by John Binns, farmer and carrier, who, following the making of the new road from Yorkshire into Lancashire, built a weaving factory and was the first person to introduce power looms into the district.
The new mill was engaged in the worsted trade and gradually expanded, the firm becoming well known as weavers of blue serge There are early records of the Company’s advertising ” The Pennine range of serges.” The Founder took his two sons into the business and on his death they carried on in partnership until this was dissolved by one of them building another mill. This new mill was later purchased and merged into the existing Company.
Up to the beginning of the present century further extensions were carried out and in 1902 the Company recorded their first purchase of what was then known as Artificial Silk yarn. This continued to be used in increas¬ing quantities for decoration and the increase became very considerable during the late 1920’s. In the year 1932 the Company decided to concentrate on rayon and silk weaving only. A considerable quantity of new plant had by this time been purchased and re-equipment was continued until 1936 when both factories were fully engaged on the weaving of silk and rayon.
Further developments have taken place since the con¬clusion of the last war. A new factory has been established at Aycliffe, nr. Darlington, the Company has become a Public Company and also acquired the Headen Weaving Co., Ltd., Addey Lord & Co., Ltd., and Bennetts Fabrics Ltd., all of Manchester.
The combined organisation is now established as the largest firm of rayon fabric manufacturers in Yorkshire and one of the most up-to-date productive and distributive units in Home Trade and Export. The Company is known throughout the Rayon Trade for the excellence of its productions in Satins and Crepe.

GILL STANSFIELD & SONS, Royd Mills, Cowling
These Mills (known as THE OLD BOAK), were acquired by Messrs Gill Stansfield & Sons of Nelson, early 1912, and were equipped with new and up-to-date weaving plant for the manufacture of Cotton and Rayon Linings, and trimmings for the hosiery trade.
In 1920, the old beam engine was replaced by a new modern steam engine and boiler, and electric lighting plant.
Throughout the past 37 years, the mills have been in constant production (except during the war years 1941 to 1946), under the management (until his death, Feb. 1947) of the resident Partner Mr. (Jim) J. W. Stansfield.
The mills are now under the management of Mr. Maurice Winterbottom, assisted by Mr. James Metcalfe.
All employment enquiries to Mr. Winterbottom.

JOHN HARTLEY (COWLING) LTD.
Acre Shed, Cowling
The business was established in 1863 by Mr. John Hartley, as a Cotton Manufacturer at Royd Mills, Cowling. In 1880 he built and equipped the present mills at Acre Shed, Cowling. In 1911, with his two sons in partnership, he made the business a Limited Company. After his death in 1914 the business was carried on by the family until 1919, when Mr. James Bailey entered into partnership with Mr. Watson ‘Hartley.
Mr. Watson Hartley retired from the partnership in 1928, and the business was left entirely in the hands of Mr. James Bailey and his son. After Mr. Bailey’s death in 1946, Mr. Frank William Bailey became Managing Director. His wife, the grand-daughter of the founder, is also a Director.
The business has developed from Cottons and Worsteds to the making of high class Rayon fabrics in plain and Jacquard weaves. The plant has been adapted to modern requirements, and has capacity for employing about 120 operatives.

HOLMES, GOLDRICH &. CO. LTD.
Ickornshaw Mills, Cowling
In the year 1791 a Mr. John Dehane …..” hath erected and built a Mill for the purpose of spinning cotton in the way and manner as is now used and practised, at a place called Holgate Bridge in Ickornshaw.” This is an extract from an agreement dated September 16th, 1791, whereby the landowners of Ickornshaw agreed to the erection of damstones across Ickornshaw Beck to ensure a supply of water for the Mill … . ” without any molestation or disturbance now or hereafter from us or any of our successors.” The present buildings were erected about the year 1884 after a fire had destroyed a large part of the original structure, and internal improvements and modernisation have been effected during recent years.
A water wheel was originally used for motive power, this later being augmented by steam engine until 1937, when the water wheel was dismantled. A modern engine was installed in 1942 and the present firm is engaged in the production of high class Silk and Rayon fabrics with 200 looms and employing about 130 workpeople.

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Cowlinghistory.co.uk is the website for MOONRAKERS, Cowling’s Local History Group. Cowling Parish is at the south west of North Yorkshire, near its boundaries with Lancashire and West Yorkshire. It was in the old West Riding of Yorkshire.